I like my
job. I really do, but there are days, and weeks where I often wish I'd chosen
accounting over
international relations. Usually that happens when I examine my pay check, and then realize I still lack an semblance of a realistic
road racing budget.
But then I contemplate wearing a suit every day, sucking up to the boss, and spending all day staring at little letters on the page. I had enough of that in grad school. I go out in my truck, fix or build something, and go home with no day ever like the one before.
Still there are issues. While wi-fi gains ground every day, for a fire alarm or security system wires beat wireless every day of the week. Except for the day when you have to pull them. Wires, alas, do not pull themselves. Generally I like pulling wire, it's neither mindless or demanding, in fact it's pretty easy if you have a sound plan. But not today.
The first thing you should realize is that unless a building is new, when you remove a ceiling tile from its place in a drop ceiling dirt and dust will come fluttering down. Sometimes you'll find fiberglass insulation, which sticks to your skin. Then you have low or obstructed ceilings where getting the tile in and out represents a real challenge, when it is possible at all. Sometimes you get all three. Little pebbles pummeled me as the tile cleared its tee frame, with gobs of fluffy fiberglass drifting downward by passing children. It was an adventure.
But the best part came when I had to pull said wires where there was a hard ceiling. The church had a wooden frame and your basic arched roof. It was well insulated, all blown in. Naturally the spot I had to hit was a particularly low one, and completely on the opposite end from the access hatch. Naturally I had to go around the sanctuary. Naturally the place I had to get to was on the very edge of the building. Walking across that sort of ceiling resembles crossing a minefield without the bombs. You stick your foot out gingerly, searching through the mounds of insulation for a joist. You bend and stretch, ducking braces, avoiding soft things (like other wires, or the drywall ceiling). But finally the moment of truth comes where you must crawl. I performed an excellent belly crawl to the raceways I'd already installed, flashlight in one hand, wire in the other. And one other thing, in August, attics get hot. When I left the roof, I too was well insulated. Sweat sometimes proves an effective glue. I came out . . . .furry.
You know you're really dirty when you have to take a shower in order to mow the lawn.